10 Biggest Highlights Of Cody Rhodes' AEW Career
6. The World Title Stipulation
In a case of game recognising game, no lesser authority than The Rock praised Cody’s promo skills in the wake of his Career Announcement back in November 2019.
"Rhythm, cadence, tone, intent, passion, execution. Great promo, brother. You dropped that MF.“
Content was key here, not only did Cody “drop” Chris Jericho, he set the stipulation that should Cody fail to best Chris Jericho at Full Gear he would never again challenge for the AEW world title. The stipulation astutely recognised and addressed fan anxiety about any wrestler, especially a Rhodes, holding EVP powers within a promotion.
It also added stakes and real drama to his title match. Surely Jericho couldn’t be beaten for the belt so soon? But surely now Cody couldn’t lose?
Once Cody lost and the stipulation was in effect, fans were able to speculate endlessly and wildly. What would Cody do outside of the title picture? Would the stipulation stick? Would Cody one day claw his way back into the title picture and if so, how?